Teaching Pro Spotlight: Steve Beckendorf

Minnesotan Steve Beckendorf spent nearly 20 years in Southern California in the insurance business before he realized it was time to get back to his “roots.”

Beckendorf is currently the director of tennis at the Oxnard Marriott Residence Inn, and is glad he made the switch from an inside office to an outdoor tennis court every single day.

Formerly of the Oxnard Tennis Center, the 51-year-old Beckendorf has settled into life as a teaching pro and enjoys teaching his long-time private students, as well as visitors to the resort he now calls home.

The certified PTR professional played for legendary Hall of Fame Coach Steve Wilkinson at Minnesota’s Gustavus Adolphus College in the mid-1980s. Beckendorf was also a three-time state high school champion and a top-ranked junior.

“I moved out here in the early 1990s, but didn’t get back to my roots in tennis until 2009,” Beckendorf said.

Currently teaching a bunch of local high school players, Beckendorf also helps coach the Central Coast USTA Competition Training Center team and is a member of the Babolat National Advisory Staff.

“We have five lighted courts adjacent to the hotel and it’s kind of hidden away,” Beckendorf said of his facility. ”It’s a great place to get away and relax.”